Improved cigarette package opener and cigarette ejector



2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 19, 1945 FIGURE l.

FIGURE 2.

INVENTOR.

LEROY VALETINE BELL Avro RN Eye Nov. 16, 1948.

Filed Sept. 19, 1945 FIGURE 3 V. BELL IMrRovED CIGARETTE PAQKAGE OPENER AND CIGARETTE EJECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 45E-4o FIGURE 5 1 y INVENTOR. LEROY VALETINE BELL ATTD RN EYB Patented Nov. V16, 1948 UNITED STATES yPATENT ori-ica IMPROVED CIGARETTE PACKAGE OPENER AND. CIGARETTE EJECTOR Leroy v. en, wakenelan. 1. Application September 19, 1945, Serial No. 617,279

. from.

Another object of this invention is to provide improvements in Patents 2,252,611 and 2,342,240 so that the package opener and package disclosed therein is made more practical and eiiicient from the manufacturing standpoint and the standpoint of the user, .and provide a neater and more lpresentable package. y

'With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists of the novel details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l'is aview of the 4three wrappers of a package in flattened out condition;

Figure 2 is the same of the opposite side of the Wrapper;

Figure 3 is an elevational view partly broken away showing the ejector in position for operation after opening the package;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the ejector;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a package with the tab of the opener and ejector in position for operation thereof, and

Figure 8 is a modification of the invention.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the reference numeral IIJ generally designates the package which consists of an outside wrapper l2 the inner foil wrapper I4 and the inner wrapper I6 which package is in the usual manner covered with a Cellophane wrapping I8.

The outer wrapper I2 is provided with rectangular tabs and 22, which project upwardly intermediate the upper ends thereof.

The tabs 20 and 22 are arranged to be superimposed by folding over uponA each other and they are held in this position by an adhesive and the revenue stamp 24 which is secured by adhesive across the top cf the package as indicated in the drawings in the usual manner.

It will be apparent from Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings that the upper part of the inside or innermost wrapper I6 has its upper edge projecting above the upper edge of the outside wrapper (Cl. 20G-41.2)

- 2 I2 on which the tabs 20 and 22 are located, that the projecting portion or the wrapper I6 is provided at the positions of the ends of the package with parallel fold lines 26 and 2B which are arranged vertically and at right angles with respect to a horizontal fold line 30 and that angulated fold lines 32V and 34 extending from the point of intersection of the fold lines 26, 23 and 30 meet at the point 36 which is coincident with the upper edge 31 of the inner wrapper I8. The described portions correspond to the right hand end of the top of the package.

Preparatory to closing the package and before all cigarettes for disposition therein have been disposed therein, the combination ejector and opener 38 is positioned in the package I0 as shown.

The ejector and opener 38 comprises the elongated leg o`f the tab 40 having the ejectorportions 42 and 44 formed thereon, thus the ejector may be formed so that three cigarettes can be ejected from the package at the same time, however, if it is desired to eject two cigarettes at a time the part 44 is cut on the line 4B, or should it be desired to eject only one cigarette the ejector 42 is cut on the line 46. The package may'therefore, be formed so that one or any number of cigarettes may be withdrawn by the pull tab.

The ejector portions are each bisected by a folding line 5l! and the ends thereof are split to form the raised or foot portions 52 at the lower end thereof.

The tab 40 is bent downward at its outer end 54 and intermediate this end and the top of the package the tab is folded at 5B, 5,8, 59 and 60. Thus, folded, the tab is adapted to be positioned over tabs-2D and 22l so that when the tab 40 is pulled, the package will be opened and the revenue stamp 24 will be destroyed, the inner wrapper i6 is provided with adhesive at 62 and 64 for holding the overlap thereof over the folds of the tab, thus all of the wrappers'are removed at the corner of the package from which the cigarettes are to be removed. Y A

In Figure '7, the tab extends beyond the folded edgeof the Cellophane wrapper and this wrapper will be opened as are the other wrappers ofthe package. In Figure 8, the tabs 20 and 22 have been lreplaced by a U-shaped tab 66 which has its ends secured tothe outer wrapper by adhesive.

When it is desired to open the package, the package, as shown in Figure '1, is held in one hand and the tab 40 is pulled upwardly tearing the outer wrapper and revenue stamp. As pulling I4 and tear along the near edge of the package revenue stamp,

until the opposite end is open, and after the end ls open, the tab 40 pulls the ejector 38 upwardly thereby drawing one, two or three cigarettes from the package. The tab 90 is connected to the ejector as shown in my prior Patent No. 2,342,240.

It is believed that the operation and structure of the combination opener and ejector will be understood by those skilled in the art and that modifications and changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to -be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a cigarette package. a comparatively thin rectangular-shape container including inner and outer wrappers and having a revenue stam-p straddlng one end, a. pull tab positioned against the end of the package and extended under the one end of said tab extending over the edge at one end of the package and downwardly against the outer surface of the end of the package, and an ejector comprising a vertically folded zig-zag strip carried by the opposite end of said tab andl extended downwardly between cigarettes inthe package and having an extended foot on the lower end that is positioned under 4 cigarettes in the package. said ejector and foot adapted to raise cigarettes from the package as the ejector is drawn upwardly by the tab, said ejector being connected to the tab by a plurality of folded sections, and said foot at the lower endi of the ejector having a plurality of steps lying in a common plane with said steps located alternately on each side of said ejector strip at right angles thereto and integral therewith and each step positioned under a. diierent cigarette, two panels of said folded strip and an integral step forming an ejector portion, and all of said portions except one being separable from said ejector.

. LEROY V. BELL.v

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record 1n the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

